(….I’ve got a bad case of not finding an NFP-friendly or good fertility specialist. That’s what Robert Palmer would sing if he loved NFP.)

One of the most common issues NFP users face is finding a doctor who “gets it”.  In fact most women don’t even expect that. When it comes down to it we really just desire a doctor who will respect our decision to use NFP when postponing a pregnancy rather than whatever pill, patch, or barrier samples were left behind by the last pharmaceutical rep to enter the building. This is no tall order. This should be easy but often is not.

If you are struggling to find an NFP friendly doctor don’t lose hope! Try the following and with any luck you will find some great options in your area! Generally speaking as you are going down the list, the fewer steps it takes you to find a doctor, the more likely they will be not only NFP friendly, but possibly even trained in a specialty such as NaProTechnology.

1. Creighton Fertility Care: Check out the FertilityCare web site and use the left hand index to “Find a Medical Consultant” (If looking specifically for a NaPro Doctor please e-mail fcco[at]popepaulvi.com for the most up-to-date information on your area.)
2. One More Soul’s NFP Directory: Run a search for your area(Helpful, but not always 100% up to date. No luck? See #3)
3. Network:
• Contact the closest NFP Diocesan Coordinator to your area.
• Seek out and call your local NFP instructors! More than likely they go to the doctor from time to time so see who they use!
• Consider calling a few of the local Midwives or La Leche League if you have any in your area.  Though not all are supportive of NFP, many are, and might know of a doctor in your area who is as well!
4. Social Network: You never know who people know, so post to the Living the Sacrament Forum, the Facebook NFP Group (CLOSED group is probably your best option), or your NFP tweeps.

[UPDATE: Sadly this great event has been cancelled. For q's, go here.]

Just spoke with the  coordinator for this great summer conference happening in Kansas July 11-16, and it sounds like it’s going to be a GREAT event–a wonderful balance between medical, pastoral and legal talks and workships. You can register online at any of the links below, and contact information for the coordinator is at the bottom.

Please help spread the word about this timely and much-needed convocation (brochure links at the bottom)–blog about it, link to the NFPO Institute, tweet about it, Facebook it, and pass on the flyers to doctors, pastors, NFP teachers/ coordinators, or anyone who’d benefit from not only the great talks, but the kind of valuable networking that goes on at conference like this.

The NFP Outreach Summer Institute is sponsored by NFP Outreach & Benedictine College.There are three main tracks:

• Educators (to include NFP Promoters/ Instructors & Marriage Prep Instructors)
• Clergy & Chancery Communications Offices
• Medical Professionals & Hosptial Admin (Continuing Ed Credit avail.)

If you’re in the area, evening keynotes (and one afternoon keynote by Robert George) will be free of charge.

Keynote Speakers include:

• Dr. Janet Smith, Chair of Life Ethics, Sacred Heart Major Seminary (July 11)
• Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, Kansas City in Kansas (July 13)
• Dr. Robert P. George, Princeton University & Co-initiator “Manhattan Declaration”(15)
• John Allen, Jr., Vatican analyst for CNN & NPR (13th)
• Dr. Jan Hemstad, M.D., President, Catholic Medical Association
• Medical Doctors of the CMA (July 15 and 16)

Brochure for Medical Professionals & Admins

Brochure for Educators-front & back

Just in case you didn’t see this great piece by fertility super advocate and one time  One More Soul Exec Director, Jenn Giroux, check it it out: “Giving a Pass to the Pill.”

Shouldn’t the same standards and cautions be applied to warning labels to alert women about diseases caused by “the pill” and all other forms of harmful hormonal contraception?

This reminds me of a conversation with a nurse in Madison, Wisconsin, who I had asked to make some NFP brochures available in the OB/GYN floor. She saw the Go Organic brochure with contraceptive side effects/ risks listed, and freaked out–not because she was surprised to learn the truth, but because she that I was some extremist exaggerating and lying. I remember her saying, “If this stuff is true, there should be a black box warning on birth control.” No kidding, Nancy Drew. I responded by saying something less sarcastic than that (by an immense act of the will), suggesting that this information was clearly footnoted and referenced to legitimate studies, copies of which I sent to her. I also implied that she had a rather rosy view of corporate pharma, which has a lot of money at stake in the contraceptive business.

Shouldn’t women – and parents of young girls – be alerted? Isn’t it time to ask if the pill and other forms of hormonal contraception are a prescription for breast cancer?

Indeed, they should be alerted. This starts with copies of this article and other good information being passed on to young women, their mothers in every day and pastoral circumstances. Resolution: Send a copy of What a Woman Should Know About Birth Control and Giroux’s article to your pastor, DRE, and youth director. You’d be surprised at how many don’t know how  dangerous contraceptives can be–all in the name of clear skin and fake “regular” cycles.

Last night I was watching the local news about the chemical Triclosan, an active ingredient in a number of consumer products including hand sanitizers, antibacterial soaps, and toothpaste. I knew that using hand sanitizer and antibacterial soaps probably wouldn’t be good as they kill good bacteria too, but I had no idea that Triclosan was being investigated by the FDA, and comes from a pesticide family. Anyhow, I thought to myself, “How did I not know this? I’m really glad they’re doing this report on this. But there are many more stories like this that need to be told?”

Can you think of any underreported health concerns? Have you seen any local news stories on, say, certain carcinogenic fertility suppressants?

Perhaps you saw a little bit in the news some time ago about the FDA’s wrist-slap of a correction on Yaz’s hyperbolic claims of feminine healing? Well, I’m sure once Bayer got wind of it all hitting the fan over two years ago, their team of corporate fixers went to work. Do you think they decided to give up? Maybe they had a change of heart? Since Bayer’s profits off Yaz are not inconsiderable, you guessed it–they retooled the chemistry and yup, the marketing. The FDA decision should have been the canary in the coal mine for pill pushers (and takers) the first time around, so here’s hoping more comes to light.

This great guest post by Hillary Grigg-Spall of Sweetening the Pill Blog on Re: Cycling, the blog of the Society for Menstrual Research, unveiled for me the real sneakiness of these companies. You see,  Beyaz, the new version of Yaz by Bayer, and has a surprise for you–your daily dose of folate, a B Vitamin! Isn’t that nice of them? I’m sure there’s no catch there.

But, wait…Ms. Grigg-Spall has some information to share. Taken from Beyaz’s own web site and some very basic research, she points out some simple facts. The folate, by the company’s own disclosure, “…lowers the risk of having rare neural tube defects in a pregnancy occurring during Beyaz use or shortly after stopping.” Wait. lowers the risk of a birth defect? In the bullet point above, they list its primary function in order to “Prevent pregnancy – 99% effective when taken as directed.” Yet, its secondary function–not even qualified with a “this hardly ever happens” (because we all know pregnancy on the Pill is much more common than 1%) is to yes, help prevent a birth defect while either on the pill or shortly after getting off it. What?

But there’s more. Grigg-Spall reveals,

“A little research reveals folate supplementation has been linked in studies to a decrease in stroke and thrombosis risk – a subtext Bayer could not print without admitting blame and accepting the law suit claims.” (My emphasis.)

And adds,

“The production of pharmaceuticals is a billion dollar industry and it is, unfortunately, necessary to assume moves are made for money and the market and not in the hope of improving the lives of women. The less sick, or deceased women, the less lawsuits, and the more money to be made for Bayer. The creation of Beyaz suggests Bayer cares, and has the interests of women at heart, but essentially it is a cynical ploy to win back the loyalty of the many women who have become suspicious of Yaz, and consequently the Pill as a whole, due on the controversies and, most importantly, their own experiences.” (My emphasis.)

I could not agree more. But the questions running through my mind are (to which I partially know the answers): Why is this not more widely known? Why is the FDA and other supposedly protective agencies so blind to these details? Why hasn’t there been more investigative work on the pharmaceutical industry done? What’s more, why do the myths of the safety of chemical and hormonal contraceptives persist, and why are so many medical professionals (and the people who train them) complicit in perpetuating these myths? Why are the opponents of chemical and hormonal contraception not banding together despite their differences? What can we do to change that?

The obvious answer to the first couple of questions is the dangerous triumvirate of money, ideological sacred cow, and ignorance. But what do you think the answers to the last two questions?

This is not breaking news, but a oldie but goodie article link I didn’t get a chance to post before.

Contraceptives May Double Risk of Stroke.

My favorite line: “benefits [of contraception] still outweigh the risks for most users.” Growing numbers of “most users” would disagree.

This summary introduced something I didn’t know about birth control pills: they can contribute to developments of chronic yeast infections. More on this here, also. Natural methods are looking better all the time…

This just in from PRWire (see the part in bold)….

Front Range Primary Care Opens 2nd Family Medicine Clinic

Denver, CO (Vocus/PRWEB ) February 26, 2010 — Front Range Primary Care will open its second Colorado family medicine clinic on March 8th. The clinic, a 5,000 square foot facility co-located with AfterOurs Urgent Care, at 6895 E. Hampden, will offer both pediatric and adult health care services. Front Range Primary Care will operate on extended hours Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 7 pm and on Saturdays from 8:30 am to noon. AfterOurs Urgent Care will open in the spring to provide urgent care services in the evening and on weekends and holidays.

“We’ve co-located with AfterOurs Urgent Care at our Westminster clinic, and the arrangement has worked well for our patients. When they (a patient) need treatment outside of our hours of service, they simply consult with an AfterOurs physician. The next day, AfterOurs forwards us their treatment records for follow-up care,” said Lucas Hutchinson, Practice Administrator for Front Range Primary Care.

Front Range Primary Care staffs board certified physicians, treats men, women, and children of all ages, and even offers obstetrics, gynecology and natural family planning at certain locations (ask for Dr. Vera). Same day appointments and walk-ins are welcomed. For more information call (303) 218-7758 or visit www.FrontRangePrimaryCare.com.

About Front Range Primary Care Front Range Primary Care treats patients of all ages, offering one convenient health care home for the entire family. Front Range currently operates a state of the art facility in Westminster, Colorado, with a second opening March 8, 2010 in Denver, Colorado.

After discovering Nicole’s My Endometriosis Story, I found more blogs about women and families suffering through infertility. Then I found more blogs by checking out their blogroll, then I found more. You get it: Infertility Blog hopscotch. After several click-read-click-read jumps, I discovered something that shouldn’t surprise me: there is a huge community of IF sufferers on the blogosphere, and many of them are FertilityCare users.

In a conversation with a friend, I mentioned my discovery, and she asked me to send her a list. Now, keep in mind there are SO many out there, so I’ve not included all I found, but rather included a short list of some of my favorites.

The Children I Cannot Hold–A Catholic Physician Reflects on Her Experience with Recurrent Miscarriage

All You Who Hope-A 30-something mom’s journey through infertility to adoption (they’re still working through her infertility, but a single birth mom need a family all of a sudden, and they adopted)

The Apostolate of Hannah’s Tears–Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s awesome blog reaching out to infertile couples

Sew Infertile-One passionately opinionated Catholic girl’s journey through miscarriage, infertility & foster-care (30 yo, still trying)

In all things, good–trusting God on the journey of (in)fertility

Waiting for Baby Blondie–A journey through infertility and Catholicism. A search for answers, hope and faith. “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard ‘delay,’ but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

This Cross I Embrace--A Journey through Infertility…Catholic style

What are some of your favorites?

Angie Baker, 33,  suffered eighteen miscarriages in thirteen years. Then came her little miracle, Raiya, born this past December.

This BBC article is sparing with details, and I want to know more of the story. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about it. I mean, my first reaction is, “Wow. That is amazing. What a miracle. She must be so happy.”

Then I think she must have suffered so much, physically, emotionally, and relationally. How did she cope, and what drove her to keep trying? I, with my husband, suffer the painful waiting game of infertility, but we have yet to conceive, and I’ve never miscarried, so I can’t put myself precisely in her place. Does she have a husband or partner to support her? Why isn’t he mentioned in the BBC’s story?

Further, how did she not hear of FertilityCare and NaProTechnology? I mean, thirteen years! Perhaps she tried charting and working with a Creighton Medical Consultant. After all, Creighton and NaPro bring much healing and happiness to women and families, particularly those hoping to conceive, but it’s not a silver bullet. Then again, perhaps she was not able to come up with the money since the England has socialized health care? But there are FertilityCare Practitioners and medical consultants in the UK and Ireland, and many, many people without immense financial means find a way to make it work.

In the end, she found a specialist, Dr. Hassan Shehata, who was able to diagnose and treat her condition, having an unusually high amount of Natural Killer Cells.

Interesting closing note: Her little girl’s name is Raiya, which is a form of Regina, a name for the Blessed Mother. Also, she was born on December 9, the feast of Old Testament Hannah, who suffered from infertility, and who’s prayer for a child was answered.

(H/T to Hannah’s Tears Apostolate blog for the article.)

Angie’s story elsewhere:

• Epsom & St. Helier Hospital Site
• UK’s Daily Mail
• Metro.co.uk Online Magazine

Just found this new blog, Sweetening the Pill, which is all about spreading the bad news of the BCP, and empowering women to find something better.

Take her poll: Have you experienced negative side effects of the Pill?

Have you seen the movie UP? It looked cute, and my Dad recommended it, so we thought we’d give it a go.

“Cute” is no longer an adequate word to describe this film for me because what could have been a schmaltzy animated film ended up being a dramatic commentary on life, love and fatherhood. Of course, it’s very funny in parts, and quite action-packed, but it for me was a sort of animated “Last Lecture,” complete with adventure, dreams, joy, loss, suffering and triumph. Thinking I’m reading too much into a computer cartoon movie?

Check out the above pictures, two separate  but back-to-back scenes in the first fifteen minutes of the film. The story of Ellie & Carl Frederickson begins with their meeting as children, both in love with fantastic adventures. They grow up, fall in love, marry, renovate their first home together, and do what married couples do: they decide to fill it with children. [Spoiler alert: don't read the rest if you don't want to know about the plot!] They begin the journey to parenthood, only to have it cut short. This part of the film is done very succinctly and tastefully, but the pictures communicated the cascade of feelings of what couples go through when they lose a child or can’t conceive. It was tremendously powerful for me watching this because my husband and I have been married for three years, and haven’t been able to conceive.  Though we know we have much hope, and look forward to starting the NaProtechnology process through the Creighton Model of FertilityCare, it’s still difficult.

I have so much sympathy for my friends and non-friends alike who go through this struggle, which often results in a successful pregnancy after years of suffering, or perhaps sometimes ends with disappointment and irreversible infertility. I think people forget the grief that can come with this struggle, especially if one has previously contracepted, aborted, or engaged in a lifestyle that has negatively impacted their fertility.

So my first thought and recommendation is to pray for those who are struggling with sub-fertility or infertility. They need your prayers, and they need your support. If someone you know suffers a miscarriage, still born, or sudden infant death, the best thing you can do is to suffer with them, and to listen. Bring dinner, help babysit or run errands for them, too, because pregnancy or child loss is overwhelming. Whatever you do, do NOT try to “help” by saying things like, “Oh you already have [number] children; it’s okay,” or “You’re still young,” or something ridiculous like that. According to my several friends who’ve miscarried, these types of comments are all too common, and completely ignore the fact that after conception, it’s a human person just like you and I, and there’s a similar grief as when an adult dies.

Also, don’t judge a person by the size of their family. Uggh. This seems to be common Christian sense, but it’s sadly ubiquitous among pious people to judgmentally implement this uncaring silent algorithm that “If they’ve been married X years, they only have X kids, she still works (etcetera), they must be contracepting.” AHHH! PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH. Yes, it’s true that many families have their requisite two children, and contracept or sterilize themselves through the rest of their marriage. We all make mistakes, and if you haven’t in this area, give thanks. However, you still shouldn’t judge, and you definitely should give people the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps we’ll even learn something that way.

Lastly, the movie which provided my introduction and reflection on infertility, is also a movie about taking chances, moving forward through suffering, and ultimately, about spiritual parenthood. It turns out you can still be a mother or father to someone without giving birth or even without adopting. Adoption is a beautiful and heroic thing, but if for whatever reason a couple can’t achieve it, they still are parents. This isn’t the desolate consolation for the infertile, but a great gift with which all people have been given: the gift of spiritual parenthood. In the end, the elder Carl Frederickson gives the gift of parenthood to little Russell, his accidental companion on the adventure that is UP.

So, next Mother’s Day or Father’s day, please remember couples without children, or who are struggling to have children. Wish them sincerely a happy Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. This goes for childless pastors, priests and elderly as well. They are sexual beings with the gift of masculinity/ femininity and parenthood as well. And let us all give thanks for the gift of children in an age where the child is denigrated is so many ways.

Here’s a couple articles on the Gift of Infertility that I found very informative from a health perspective and a moral perspective:

• The Gift of Infertility (part 1)
• The Gift of Infertility (part 2)
• The Gift of Infertility (part 3)
• The Gift of Infertility (part 4)

Because I have a variety of readers from across the religious/ political spectrum, I rarely–if ever–touch on the “A” word. Being pro-life is important to me, and I want other people to be pro life, but I never want to hit people over the head with it. Far more people come to understand my position (and the Church’s) through friendship, research, and appreciation of fertility, rather than judgmental nagging. Having said that, as I was commenting on another blog about this, I realized I needed to post this video, and let thoughtful people decide for themselves.

Now, if feel strongly about this, you may be interested in the American Life Leagues “The Pill Kills” campaign. I agree with their fundamental premise, and the great need to address this function of the Pill and other contraceptives (I guess “IUDS kill” or “Depo Kills” isn’t as catchy) for unsuspecting pro lifers. However, this campaign will change few hearts for the undecided or the pro choice person. For the latter audience, I think there are better ways to go about this conversation. Some will think this makes me pusillanimous or weak, but I think it’s simply a better approach.